Tons of dead fish are being removed from Poland’s Odra River, the river which flows along Poland’s western border with Germany. Water authorities have warned people to stay away from the river and the government has pledged to investigate the source of the contamination.
According to the head of Poland’s Water Authority, Przemysław Daca, 10 tons of dead fish have now been extracted from the Odra River. The authority believes that the pollution occurred around July 26-27. The costs of clearing up the pollution are estimated to be well over 10 million zloty (€2.13 million). He said he hugely regretted that the project of enriching Odra with fish would be adversely affected.
The deputy minister for climate and environment, Jacek Ozdoba, said that samples have been taken and dead fish have been sent to a specialist laboratory. The lab will report within a week to identify the substance causing the contamination.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak wrote on Thursday that both the territorial army as well as regular forces will assist in the removal of the pollution from the Odra River. Troops will be sent to the region to help with the decontamination efforts and other tasks, tweeted the minister.
The Odra River, the second-longest river in Poland, begins in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming the border between Poland and Germany and ultimately flowing into the Baltic Sea.
